Abstract:

Growing old is a phenomenon that has been oversimplified by dependence on a model of loss & decline. Also, there seem to be genuine cultural biases that may interfere with the application of science in geriatric research. A widespread repugnance to the phenomena of loss & decline (as these are usually conceived) may cooperate with other prejudices of an acquisitive society, even in scientific contexts. What is obscured, in this view, is the capacity in advanced age to simplify personal needs, arrange one's own life accordingly, & organize elements of self. This "capacity" may seem to be forced on the elderly by circumstance; but it may also be viewed, in many cases, as a positive & creative force issuing from self. Such activity ought not be confused with poverty, & may be worthy of admiration (if not emulation) by the young, who are often caught up in the confusions of an advanced technological era.